It's all systems go for Hull's very first Five Guys with work starting at the site where it will be built.
The area at Kingswood Leisure Park where planning approval was given for its construction is now fenced off and cabins have been installed at the perimeter. Diggers appear to have been used and there are piles of aggregate and plastic pipes of different sizes.
So far, Five Guys has not added Hull Kingswood to its website but the Kingswood Leisure Park website says it will open by "late 2024". Plans show it will occupy 257.7 sq m and have two service hatches and a drive-thru lane for takeaway.
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Positioned directly opposite Hollywood Bowl in the car park it shares with Cineworld, it will join other 'big name' fast-food eateries at that side of the retail and leisure park, including McDonald's, Dunkin', Taco Bell, Domino's, KFC and Wendy's. Five Guys already has four branches in Leeds, three in Sheffield, and two in York, but this will be the first time it has opened in Hull.
Planning documents submitted to Hull City Council show permission was granted for the restaurant to be built in October 2023, with the green light given to the installation of two canopies over its drive-thru lanes in May this year.
The US chain has been expanding rapidly in the UK since it opened in Covent Garden, London, in 2013. Five Guys is often compared to other burger chains and fans say they like how customisable Five Guys burgers are and the wide range of toppings such as jalapenos, grilled onions, green peppers, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, and pickles.
Sauce options are BBQ, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, hot sauce, and HP sauce. It also serves a ‘Boardwalk style’ fry, which it says means hand-cut fries cooked twice in peanut oil.
As many as 40 new jobs could be created by the Hull Kingswood Five Guys, according to the plans. Five Guys was founded in Virginia in 1986 by Jerry Murrell, his wife Janie, and their four sons - hence the name. A fifth son, their youngest, later joined the company.